Jennifer Dilworth Hynes — mtbchk

Finally, some decent weather for a winter short-track race – or so we thought. The first few races of the day were relatively mud-free. There was a huge turn-out for the beginner womens’ race (11 women!), and only two for the Sport Race. (See, Arleigh, you should have raced Sport!). Just after the Beginner/Sport Women’s race, the sky turned black and then opened up. Of course, this happened just after I registered for my race. The poor Sport Men had to race in a sideways downpour. Lucky for us, the rain stopped by 1:00, but it left a bunch of mud and a very mushy grassy climb. There was also a great rainbow which appeared right over the softball fields. This must have been a sign.

 

The same seven women from last week raced again this week. So, I thought I knew where I stood. I got a good start again, and held on for the first lap. Once I hit the pavement, the other women began pulling away. For the first three laps, I was able to see two women ahead of me, at least part of the time. My biggest mental help this week was the small crowd at the top of the singletrack climb. Not wanting to disappoint the crowd, I made sure to muscle up the section that I usually start struggling in. I think this improved my outlook tremendously. One guy kept telling me that my closest competitor was 30 seconds ahead of me. 

 

My other strategy was to lose the Camelbak. The race is only 45 minutes long, and I’ve filled it up for each race and haven’t actually drunk from it yet. I gave Melanie a bottle to hand me if I needed it. I only needed it a couple of times, and not having a full Camelbak reduced the weight I was carrying. Unfortunately, I threw it once behind the barriers and it rolled back out into the course. Oops. Thanks, Mel! I promise I won’t throw it again…

 

During the first race, I got lapped by the field twice. During the second race, I was only lapped once. This race, I was lapped, but I didn’t get lapped until late in the race, and I was steadily catching up with the girl directly ahead of me. Finally – I wasn’t going to be last! The girl I was about to catch then pulled over with a mechanical issue with two laps to go, and ended up DNFing. So, I beat someone, but not how I would have liked. I’d rather earn it.

 

So, I gained another 20 seconds per lap, for a total gain of 46 seconds per lap since the first race. The conditions have been roughly the same for each race (muddy!), and I’ve continued to gain time. I’ve gotten faster. I don’t know if I’m used to the course, in better shape, or concentrating more. Either way, I’ll take it! I’ve decided to change gearing for next week to see if I can squeak out some more time off my laps and not die. If it’s drier, then it shouldn’t be a problem. Looking at the forecast, it might be wet again, though.

 

Let’s hope I stay on the same improvement course I’ve been on. Can I gain 20 seconds per lap per race?